The Amazon’s Amphora
Among the mountain tribes of the north, great legends speak of the mysterious Amazons, a tribe of vicious female warriors who make their home in a secluded village deep in the uncharted reaches of the Scythian Forest. No man alive has ever seen them, though rumors persist -- most often as the wishful fantasies of lonely young men, disenfranchised wives, or drunken fools, though the tales that carry the most weight are those of the poor souls claiming to have caught glimpse of the rampaging warrior women who slaughtered their allies and left few survivors to tell the tale.
The Amazon's Amphora is a large golden drinking vessel forged with powerful enchantment magic and used by a mysterious tribe of Amazon warriors to compel outsiders into doing their bidding. Great warriors, spellcasters, and even some townsfolk gifted with excellent athletic or mental capabilities are brought through a variety of means to the secret village of the Amazons, where a strange ritual is performed, culminating with the visitors drinking a cup of wine poured from this magical amphora. Upon drinking it, the visitor has a chance of falling under the spell of the Amazons, and for the next twenty-four hours is required to complete whatever tasks or missions they demand. At the end of the twenty-four hours, the visitors find themselves snapping back awake, usually back in town or in the forest somewhere, without any recollection of what mysteries took place while they were under the spell or, more importantly, of how to return to the Amazon's hidden village.
In game terms, the Amazons can use the Amphora to have the party members fight powerful monsters, combat rival tribes, or fetch items from dangerous locations. They are limited by the rules of the Lesser Geas spell, meaning that the victim can not be forced to do anything that would lead to his immediate death (i.e. walk off a cliff), but it can be used for a variety of other interesting tasks – even something as simple as "Walk East," a request that would force the victim to simply start walking in an easterly direction and not stop until the spell is broken 24 hours later (the Amazons like this one in particular on any explorers who stumble across their secret and well-hidden village). They generally try to use Diplomacy, Bluff, and other Charisma abilities or Charm spells to try and coax the soon-to-be victim into believing that the Amphora is part of a ritual meant to imbue the drinker with magical powers, but if they cannot convince someone to drink from the wine (or if the person passes their saving throw after drinking the wine), the Amazon elders must meet to decide if they should execute, imprison, or release their captive – knowing that the safety and protection of the village's secrecy is the single most important factor to their continued way of life.
The Amazon’s Amphora
Price: 10,000 gp
Body Slot: None
Caster Level: 10th
Aura: Moderate Enchantment
Activation: Special (see description)
Weight: 25 lbs.
This large golden amphora is decorated with intricate carvings of humanoid characters enjoying various acts of revelry.
This heavy golden vessel is large enough to hold wine for six people. Once per day, a one-hour ritual can be performed that imbues the wine with a powerful enchantment that weakens the willpower of anyone who drinks it. Upon drinking from the amphora, creatures of 7th Level or below must succeed on a Wisdom save or fall into a hypnotic trance for 24 hours, as Suggestion. Creatures above 7th Level who fail this save instead effected as though under the influence of a Charm Person spell. These are mind-affecting charm spells. At the end of the 24 hours, the Geased and Charmed characters awake from the trance with no recollection of what happened while they were entranced.
Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, Charm Person, Geas, Modify Memory
Cost to Create: 5,000gp, 10 workweeks.
